Wichita State out-muscles La Salle to reach Elite Eight

Mar. 29, 2013
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Wichita State Shockers forward Carl Hall (22) defends against La Salle Explorers forward Jerrell Wright (25) during the second half of the semifinals of the West regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Staples Center. / Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports

by David Meeks, USA TODAY Sports

by David Meeks, USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES - Wichita State didn't have to play angry to beat La Salle - the Shockers instead went with bigger, stronger and more physical en route to an easy 72-58 victory in a NCAA regional semifinal on Thursday night.

And now ninth-seeded Wichita State will meet No. 2 seed Ohio State on Saturday at the Staples Center for a trip to the Final Four (7:05 pm., ET, CBS)..

"It's a grind, just got to stay focused â?? 40 minutes away," said Wichita State guard Malcolm Armstead, who repeatedly got into the lane and led all scorers with 18 points, along with six rebounds and four assists.

Coming into the tournament feeling overlooked, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall had picked up a slogan â?? "play angry" â?? from former Shocker and NBA player Antoine Carr's pep talk to the team during a February slump.

Instead Wichita State appeared to calmly take care of business in never trailing against La Salle, opening the game on a 14-2 run on 5-of-5 shooting from 6-8 forward Carl Hall and throttling the Explorers' touted four-guard attack.

La Salle's starting guards shot 3-for-14 from the floor in the first half and did not convert their first field goal until Ramon Galloway's three-pointer with 5:26 before intermission.

The Shockers led by 16 at the half, 38-22.

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said La Salle having to play three tournament games last week as one of the First Four participants might have made a difference.

"All the travel they had, I think we were a little fresher. We were beating them down the floor early," Marshall said. "Carl Hall set the tone, just outrunning their bigs."

Marshall said the early advantage allowed Wichita State to play with a cushion and control the game with its defense and rebounding.

La Salle coach John Giannini came away impressed.

"Wichita State won the game in the first half," he said. "They really overwhelmed us. It took us a half to adjust to the level they were playing at. â?¦ They are a very, very good team."

Giannini said Wichita State is more than a physically imposing squad.

"We're quicker than most teams we play, but their quickness was surprising," he said.

Galloway said there was nothing unusual about Wichita State's defense that caused him to miss his first six shots, but he also was impressed with the Shockers' defense.

"They were all over the place. They came to play. By far one of the most physical teams we played. â?¦ They got every 50-50 ball, almost."

Wichita State did indeed dominate the boards, outrebounding the smaller Explorers 47-29, including a 17-9 edge in offensive rebounds.

Tyrone Garland kept La Salle in the game with eight first-half points off the bench, including a pair of three-pointers, but the defensive-minded Shockers kept the Explorers under pressure and held La Salle to 27% shooting in the half, to 53% for Wichita.

The Shockers, voted the best defensive team in the Missouri Valley Conference for three years running, held La Salle to 36% shooting for the game. The combination of physical defense and relentless rebounding was too much for La Salle, which was trying to become the first 13th seed in tourney history to reach the Elite Eight.

The Explorers tried to make defensive adjustments at halftime to contain Wichita State's inside game, but the Shockers immediately took advantage from the perimeter, opening the second half with three-pointers from Armstead and Ron Baker to stretch their lead to 44-22.

La Salle's offense responded with a 10-0 burst, led by Jerrell Wright, its lone frontcourt starter, but Wichita State tightened up its defense and the Explorers did not get closer than 11 points the rest of the game. Garland and Wright had 16 points each to lead La Salle, while Galloway added 11.

Giannini said Armstead, who scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, kept La Salle from sustaining a run long enough to catch up.

"Armstead just wouldn't allow it. ... When we threatened, he was the one who really responded," Giannini said.

Hall finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for the Shockers, while Baker added 13 points.

Wichita State advances to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1981, when the Shockers lost to LSU in a Midwest Regional final. The Shockers have made one Final Four appearance, losing to UCLA in a national semifinal in 1965.

La Salle center Steve Zack, who had missed the Explorers' past six games with a foot injury but had been cleared by doctors to play against Wichita State, did not play. Giannini had said Wednesday that having Zack available would be a boost to his team, but said after the game that the player had considerable soreness after a workout on Wednesday.

"He fatigued quickly. â?¦ It's was nothing to do with the injury, but we didn't think he could move well enough to help us in the game," Giannini said.